[Brilliant]

An Islamic terrorist commits a heinous act of murder, and the Dutch say that they need to calm things down by restricting free speech.

I guess the "people don't kill, guns kill" approach did not work, so they are taking the "people don't kill, free speech kills" approach.

[Steely Tom]

Muslim standards of acceptable free speech, she said, and asked why misogynist and homophobic comments by Islamic clerics were not to be treated in the same way.

Why, because anyone who tries to stop them could get killed. Silly question.

(steely)

[Moral Hazard]

"Laetitia Griffith, an MP for the VVD liberals, said the justice minister was exploiting Mr van Gogh's murder to impose his bible-belt values on the country. "

There's a bible-belt in Holland?

[escapefromboston]

I had to read the sentence "God as a randy donkey" five times. A "randy donkey"???? anything being a randy donkey is kinda weird but God???
I kept on thinking I was misreading it.

[AreaMan]

Blasphemy law revival upsets the Dutch elite

Alternate headline:

Blasphemy law revival upsets the drug addled Dutch elite, but only long enough for them to miss one visit to the local brothel.

Theo van Gogh was a cynical filthy misanthrope. But so what? So is most of Hollywood.

The Dutch don't need to enforce the blasphemy laws they need to enforce their murder and immigration laws.

[Edgerunner]

In response, the Dutch justice minister, Piet Hein Donner, has proposed enforcing a 1932 law banning "scornful blasphemy".

Yeah, that aut to fix everything...Ya lefty lunkhead...

[Captain Rhino]

>>The minister told the Dutch parliament on Tuesday that the law was needed to curb "hateful comments", whether oral or written, that were destabilising the country.

"If the opinions have a potentially damaging effect on society, the government must act," he said. "It is not about religion specifically, but any harmful comments in general."

Mr Donner, a Christian-Democrat, said strict enforcement was needed to stop "explosive material" setting off yet more violence.<<

IOW, the Dutch government surrenders to the Islamists!

[USF]

A proposal to revive a blasphemy law to calm sectarian tensions in Holland

Translation: Indulge in more self enforced Dhimmitude to appease the Koranimals.

They will love this sweet victory, and demand more.

[Koblenz]

Man, we have the patriot act which allows different government departments to share databases, and the civil libertarians go nuts. I can't imagine what would happen if Ashcroft tried something like this.

[USF]

The minister told the Dutch parliament on Tuesday that the law was needed to curb "hateful comments", whether oral or written, that were destabilising the country.

Will this include the Koran?

[aynrandfreak]

It was unclear whether Theo van Gogh would have fallen foul of the law. An inflammatory provocateur, he relished denigrating Islam, Judaism and Christianity in equal measure as forms of barbarous superstition

They're justifying his murder by saying that he provoked it with his words.

[CzarNicky]

Laetitia Griffith, an MP for the VVD liberals, said the justice minister was exploiting Mr van Gogh's murder to impose his bible-belt values on the country.

Is there a Bible Belt in the Netherlands?

[js1138]

I guess all that European tolerance was only one molecule deep.

[Constantine XIII]

Yeah, that's a bad idea. ><

[USF]

strict enforcement was needed to stop "explosive material" setting off yet more violence.

Wait a second... he may be onto something here. Some Muslims do tend to explode when they get upset...

[Mona Lisa2]

It looks like this law is being imposed to keep the Dutch from criticizing Islam. There wasn't any violence when Van Gogh and others criticized Judaism or Christianity.

The Dutch have become a little less free.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

bump